I recently requested suggestions for bands and artists our readers would like to see covered, my only original cathc was that you could not suggest yourself as Im sure many would have done if not for my specific insruction not to. While I understand that as smaller artists we might want to grab any and all opportunities to get some press going I feel like for this scene to be truly functional and to progress we do at times have to put our money where our mouths are and truly uplight and shine a light on others, I`ve often gone on rants regarding the rampant hypocrisy of sharing social media posts featuring some sort of slogan expressing the importance of supporting local and underground scenes and seeing the same people sharing such posts do very little if anything at all to take their own advice, that was the basis of my request and my specifications.
As it went on and submissions came in however it became increasingly necessary to add a second term; To suggest bands that we, as a scene, are not more or less all aware of at this point, while I have nothing against the more known acts that were suggested they do already have a fair foundation within our scene and often label backing and receive a decent amount of press from other sources and so I`d rather use my position within the scene to lift up those who are not at that level quite yet.
Here is but a fraction of the submissions, these are presented in no particular order and if it should turn out that any of these doesnt fit my specifications then feel free to alert me though I doubt any edits will happen as I obviously wouldnt include acts that do not meet my requirements if I was aware of that.
Luin – Undead
Luin is an electronic solo project by the Washington based artist Luin Loeffelbein, Undead is a 5 track single EP released March 5th 2021. Right off the bat its catchy, melodic and overall fresh sounding. The EP also includes a cover of the Green Day song "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" which is done so well that I had to listen to it twice before catching on to it even being a cover! Then again, it could also be due to me not being an especially big fan of Green Day but I digress...The Sawtooth Spirolation Mix takes the EPs title track into a far more club oriented musical territory which can often sound bland and uninspired , however, the massive difference it makes on the track is what my attention goes to instead which is why I`d say this is a job well done.
DoppelgängeR – Mercy And Eternity
Out of over 400 suggestions this release really stuck to my mind for whatever reason, which might be slightly ironic considering it is many ways quite typical post punk, as in, baritone voice, clear Sisters Of Mercy vibes and such. DopperlgängeR is however not a new band. Having been around since 1994 Im surprised I havent heard this untill now and with their age in mind I may be able to forgive the previously mentioned Sisters vibes a little. Mercy And Eternity is a 10 track album and is the bands 10th album, filled with all you`re probably looking for within this partiuclar style of music, the songs are short and sweet as it were, danceable and dark just the way we like it around these parts.
Varsovie – Magnitizdat
Starting in France in 2005, Varsovia is a duo creating a type of post punk that emphasises the punk. With just two tracks on this particular release its a quick ride but it`s wonderfully refreshing to hear a more raw take in an era of polished to perfection music, this feels live, the spirit of rock n roll is quite present all topped with French lyrical content which turns out to suit this type of music quite well!
https://varsovie.bandcamp.com/
5RVLN5 – The Black Mark
Next up we`ve got some dark, noisy industrial soundscapes. While this is not the most recent release it was one of several by this artist that were reccomended. The Black Mark is a 5 track EP from March of 2020 and marries industrial and post punk into one cohesive sound, pulling from both and stirring it all together creating a wonderfully dark, agressive and at times even beautifully melodic mixture.
https://5rvln5.bandcamp.com/album/the-black-mark
Sølve – Never+Enough
This may be the most known artist to be featured on this list but it`s just too good to not include it.
Sølve is one of the several monikers under which Brant Showers [AAIMON; Bestial Mouths] releases his music, this EP contains his latest single “Never Enough” along with 9 remixes by artists such as Sine, Sidewalks & Skeletons, Bara Hari and many more so it is quite literally alot of bang for your buck. This is a great exercise in bringing a sense of individuality to a genre that can often be quite repetetive and seemingly lacking of originality, if we end up making an end of year list for 2021 Im fairly sure this one will be included. While I could certainly delve into each of the EPs tracks and dissect them, tell you why they`re great and the usual debacle you really need to simply experience this for yourself as my words could not do them justice.
https://remissionentertainment.bandcamp.com/album/never-enough
3+Dead – S/T
Released i November of 2019 on the Switzerland based indie label Swiss Dark Nights, the self titled 9 track release from 3+Dead is straight forward, melodic and layered post punk done right. While their label offers little information regarding the band or the release the muisc speaks for itself with songs like “Ghost Generator” and “Kebabtraume” bringing a more electronic flavour to the otherwise guitar based release
https://swissdarknights.bandcamp.com/album/3-dead
Confrontational – Temptation/Black Glasses
This one is far more dance oriented than what my tatse usually allows, however it is done quite well and the vocal delivery as well as catchy guitar riffs and not to mention the fabulous artwork makes it all a-okay! This is another short but sweet one, just two track, released in June of 2020 I`m dissapointed that I have not seen any talk of this untill now as it is quite good and worthy of attention.